You know that
funny feeling you get when you leave your home without
lipstick–like something’s definitely missing? That’s the way I feel if I
go shopping without my mobile phone and all those handy savings apps.
Most of them don’t cost me a penny, are easy to download, and rack up
savings.
1. Victoria’s Secret for iPhone
With this free app, you can browse the Victoria’s Secret catalog,
check out the latest discounts and deals, locate the nearest store or
make your purchase. You can download it at
Apple.
2. Booking.com
Since discovering this app, I’ve left my old ways of looking for
cheap travel accommodations behind. Currently, I’m using it to plan my
birthday getaway in April; the only problem is trying to narrow down the
choice of accommodations this
app finds. Some of the deals are as much as 50% savings, plus I won’t have to fork out any booking or administration feels.
3. MySizeFinder App
Although this
fashion app isn’t
promoted as a money-saving app, it should be. If you’re anything like
me, you have several items of clothing stuck in closets or drawers that
you’ve worn once or never because they’re the wrong size. According to
The Chic Fashinista,
we waste about $6,000 on fashion faux-pas every three to six years.
MySizeFinder will help you kick this habit, allowing you to find the
perfect fit across 300 different brands, without ever having to try
clothes on.
4. Coupon Sherpa
I admit I can be a bit of a slacker when it comes to clipping and organizing my coupons. For people like me,
Coupon Sherpa is
a godsend. With this free app for Android and Apple devices, you can
easily find mobile or paperless coupons to save when you check out at a
wide variety of stores. I can check out good deals at nearby stores when
I’m already at the mall and easily find coupons by organizing them
under categories or as favorites. Most of all, it cuts down on the
amount of coupon clipping and filing I have to do!
5. Snapette
No one can accuse me of being a fashionista. The biggest fashion
sell is the price tag, but even on really stylish or hip brands I can be
a bargain-hunting wiz with
Snapette. Users
share their favorite fashion finds, including photos; details on where
to find items; and special offers. The only downside is that it’s just
for iPhones.
6. Coupon Closet
You’ll get some of the same fashion features as Snapette such as product reviews, but
Coupon Closet is
much more focused on saving you money. A team of coupon clippers
provides daily fashion deals, and you can sign up for alerts and
exclusive offers. When you first sign up, make sure you “Load all
Coupons” to get instant access to all the savings. You can use the
coupons whether you’re shopping online or in stores.
7. GasBuddy
Paying more for gas than I have to rankles me as much as missing out on tax savings, but I can avoid the former with this
app,
which is available for Apple, Android or Blackberry devices. I can
easily find cheap gas whether I’m near home or traveling across the
border thanks to a community of users that report prices. I also earn
points towards a $250 gas card giveaway by reporting gas prices I find.
8. Garage Sale Rover
I was absolutely thrilled when I just found out about
Garage Sale Rover. I’ve
snagged amazing deals at garage sales over the years. It grabs garage
sales off Craigslist and allows you to use your iPhone or Android to
search for sales by product. No need to bring a map either; the app
provides the best route to the sale of your choice.
9. Amazon Mobile
Amazon is one of my favorite hunting grounds for discounts on
numerous products, especially those I can’t find in stores in my area.
The
Amazon Mobile app is
a quick and easy way to get the scoop on deals, track products, and
check out reviews. Another cool feature is scanning barcodes of products
when I’m at stores to see if Amazon has a better price.
10. Staples
As a home-based business owner, I don’t mess around when it comes to
finding savings on everything from sticky notes to software programs.
The
Staples app puts their weekly flyers and discounts right at my fingertips. It also allows me to rack up rewards to save on purchases.
One final thing I want to share is that some apps can be a bit
finicky. For instance, a particular feature may not work with your
particular mobile device. Don’t sweat it. There are few apps out there
that don’t have competitors, so just replace a problem app with a
similar one to see if it’s more compatible with your device.
